I predict that Geoff
Pullum won't care, despite his U.K.-ish origins. However, the "group
X has Y words for Z" meme touches some deeply-resonant chord in most
members of our species. So far, interest in this topic has not been observed
in apes or parrots. I have not seen an explanation in terms of evolutionary
psychology for the species-specificity of this obsession, so there may be an
opportunity here for a new research project. The lack of animal models will make neurophysiological
investigation more difficult, but perhaps someone will track
the trait among Icelanders so that the "snowclone gene" (first
hypothesized right here!) can be identified.